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Lionel Messi back on trophy trail with Inter Miami up against Cruz Azul in Campeones Cup

thenationalnews.com · 11h · first reportShare

Lionel Messi will once again be back on the trophy trail when his Inter Miami side hosts Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup on Wednesday. Having failed to make it out of the Leagues Cup group stage and knocked out of the Concacaf Champions Cup in the last-16 by Nashville, the match at NU Stadium will give Messi another opportunity to avoid a rare season without lifting any silverware. The Campeones Cup pits the MLS and Liga MX champions against each other, and while the one-off game is not officially recognised by Fifa or Concacaf as a major trophy, victory would be a welcome boost for both player and club. On Sunday, Miami's hopes of gaining ground on Eastern Conference leaders Nashville suffered a blow when the top two sides played out a 2-2 draw in Florida, despite Messi scoring his 99th goal in 114 appearances for the club with a superb left-footed finish. “God gave him this gift,” interim manager Guillermo Hoyos said of his captain, who tops the MLS scoring charts with 19 goals in 22